Downtown Development Authority members have expanded their focus to protect more than the core area of the Master Plan.

Zoning officer Tim Pitrowski spoke at the DDA’s Feb. 10 meeting about the possibility of putting minimum construction standards in place for all commercial areas of the city.

Pitrowski said, with standards in place, the Authority would be able to review all commercial building permits inside city limits. He said the standards would include architectural controls.

“You want to have a minimal standard for the entire city. The Master Plan area will be more specific, but the bottom line is you don’t want another metal building in the city limits,” he said.

DDA member Bert King asked the timeline for putting the standards in place, and Pitrowski said all it entails is coming up with a plan that would be approved by city council, advertised in the newspaper, and then brought back to council for adoption.

“We are not talking about something complex. We are talking about minimal design standards for anyone building in the city,” he said.